1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-lumen epidural catheter suitable for use in continuous epidural anesthesia, more particularly to a double-lumen epidural catheter capable of controlling anesthesia.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
When the spinal nerve of the human is to be anesthesized, an epidural catheter having an injection opening for the inflow of an anesthetic drug or solution only at the tip thereof has been heretofore employed. However, such an epidural catheter necessarily involves a disadvantage in that the anesthetic drug accumulates as an undesirably large droplet around the opening of the catheter, whereas the peripheral portion of a region to be anesthesized receives relatively little anesthetic drug as it is seen in FIG. 5(b), and as a result, anesthesia is non-uniformly achieved. This disadvantage becomes more serious particularly when regional anesthesia is desired to be effected over a wide region, it is then necessary that the droplet size of the anesthetic drug be made large, and a large amount of the anesthetic drug is thus required.